Seafire F Mk XVII

Seafire F Mk XVII

Seafire LF Mk.III

Seafire FR 47

Seafire F Mk XVII

Seafire LF Mk.III

Seafire FR 47

Britain

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.3	5.7

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

This page is about the British naval fighter Seafire F Mk XVII. For the other navalised Spitfire, see Seafire FR 47. For other uses, see Spitfire (Family).

Description

The Seafire F Mk XVII is a rank IV British naval fighter with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB) and 5.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".

The first thing to know is that the XVII is a low altitude fighter, unlike the next Seafire - the FR 47 which is a high altitude fighter. Climb rate is fantastic until 2,500 m, where it can still perform quite well until 3,500 m but going over is not recommended as the engine will fail to provide enough power. It is recommended to climb at the beginning of the game until 2,000 m, targeting enemy Attacker aircraft, retreating, climbing up to 3,500 m, baiting down enemy fighters and finishing them on your own turf (under 2,000 m).

The Seafire Mk XVII has excellent manoeuvrability, stock turn time is 18.3 s (AB) and 18.6 s (RB/SB) and once fully upgraded it reaches 16.6 s (AB) and 17 s (RB/SB). Once the first pass of an enemy is dodged, sticking to its tail is not a difficult task as it can out turn many of its opponents especially Germans and Americans.

Stock, the plane is very difficult to handle, the climb rate is horrible (17 m/s in AB, 19.5 m/s in RB/SB), energy retention is lacking, weaponry is inefficient, speed is terrible (603 km/h max speed in AB, 586 km/h max speed in AB/SB)... Players will have a bitter time unlocking each and every module of the plane and should stick to a boom and zoom strategy until the performance modules are fully unlocked and installed. 20 mm ammo belts should be researched as soon as it is available to research, but focusing on the performance is the key, 7.7 mm and bombs should be left as the last modules to unlock. Stock, the plane is NOT worth playing in RB, play it in AB until you have at least unlocked all the performance modules.

The 2 x Hispano Mk.V 20 mm guns are devastating once the air belt equipped, composed of 50% HEF-I and 50 HEF-SAPI (HEF-I HEF-I HEF-SAPI HEF-SAPI) it wrecks others fighters in small bursts and does not require much more for medium bombers if used at a convergence point. On the other hand the 7.7 mm appears like an archaic weapon, ineffective but kept as a souvenir of the "good old days" of the Spitfire Mk Ia. Ineffective, yes but not useless actually, the 7.7 mm with tracer can be used as visual guide to see where you are firing with the 20 mm air belt which does not contain tracers! Quite a useful tip in RB for inexperienced players.

Unfortunately the plane is lacking rockets for ground attacks like its elder brother the Seafire FR 47, nevertheless, it can equip up to 2 x 250 lb + 500 lb bombs which are enough to easily destroy medium tanks or finish a damaged base. The payload is useful in late RB game but it should be avoided to start a game with as it affects performance significantly.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 3,962 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
606	586	10900	18.0	18.7	19.5	19.5	480
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 3,962 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
676	635	10900	16.3	17.0	31	24.2	480

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		N/A	~10	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 321	< 400	< 350	> 500

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,880 m	1,480 hp	1,953 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,200 m	1,350 hp	1,782 hp

Survivability and armour

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
• 4 mm Steel - Armoured plates in the pilot seat
• 6-7 mm Steel - Armoured plates behind pilot's seat
• 1 mm Steel - Armoured plate between fuel tanks
• 3 mm Steel - Armoured boxes around wing ammunition

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Seafire F Mk XVII is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
• 4 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 1,400 total)

Suspended armament

The Seafire F Mk XVII can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
• 3 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (750 lb total)
• 1 x 500 lb G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb + 2 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Combined	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm		HSBC mk.2
II		Compressor	Airframe			HSBC mk.3
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 7 mm MGs	Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover		New 20 mm cannons	HMBC mk.3

Pros and cons

Seafire XVII on a night sortie

Pros:

• Twin 20 mm Hispanos is a staple of British planes at this point
• Very manoeuvrable as with other Spitfire variants
• Good bomb load for a Spitfire: up to 2 x 250 lb + 500 lb bombs
• Good climb rate...

Cons:

• ...until about 2,000 m
• Loses A LOT of performance above 2,500 m
• Outperformed compared to other planes at the same battle rating
• .303 cals in the armament are no longer sufficient
• Other Griffon Spitfires have better performance
• Default belts are terrible
• Runs out of cannon ammo far too quickly, only 240 rounds

History

In-game description

By late 1944 the Seafire had already seen a number of major components changes, modifications and variations. The previous Seafire, the Mk.XV, came immediately after the Mk.III and was named thus in an attempt to standardize with the Spitfire lineage. Westland had taken a Seafire Mk.XV and, after some trial and error with various canopies, followed the progression of the Spitfire family and fitted a high visibility teardrop canopy along with a modified rear fuselage. The last 30 Seafire Mk.XVs therefore acted as an interim transition marque into the new Seafire Mk.XVII.

The Mk.XVII also included a number of further modifications – perhaps most importantly, the undercarriage was significantly improved for carrier operations. Previous Seafires had been forced to persevere with what was effectively a Spitfire undercarriage, designed for operating from grass strips with an aircraft some three quarters of a ton lighter. The new undercarriage was strengthened for the heavier Seafire and also made longer; not only did this new deck clearance make landing safer and easier, it also permitted greater operating weights which allowed the Seafire Mk.XVII to carry more fuel and ordnance.

The cut down, lighter rear fuselage also allowed an additional internal fuel tank, or reconnaissance cameras. The overall strengthening of the airframe allowed installation of further hard points, and the Seafire Mk.XVII could now carry double the number of rockets and bombs, with a 250 lb bomb now being carried under each wing in addition to the centerline 500 lb bomb. Air to air weaponry remained the same as previous Seafires, with two 20mm Hispano Mk.V cannon and four 0.303 Browning machine guns. An enlarged tail fin also led to increased stability and improved handling characteristics.

The same Rolls-Royce Griffon VI that powered the previous Seafire Mk.XV was also used in the Mk.XVII. This was a single-stage, two-speed supercharger engine which gave 1815 hp at 4500 feet with +15 lbs of boost. The Seafire Mk.XVII reached its top speed of 383 mph at 23,000 feet – slightly quicker than the Mk.XV at all heights, but the rate of climb was slightly less impressive.

807 Naval Air Squadron was the first squadron to receive the new Seafire Mk.XVII in December 1945 after returning to Britain from the Far East. With a total of 232 fighters equipping five front line squadrons and a number of reserve, training and second line squadrons, the Seafire Mk.XVII was finally retired in late 1954.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.